The pirate captain who is considered responsible for the kidnapping of 11 crew from the container ship, FWN Rapide on 21 April 2018 off Nigeria, was intercepted by Interpol in South Africa. Now he fights extradition to the Netherlands in court.
Twelve crew members were kidnapped after the general cargo vessel ‘FWN Rapide’ became subject of a piracy attack in Nigerian waters, in the morning hours of 22 April.
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Based on the initial information, the company reported that pirates attacked the ship prior to entering the port of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. At the time of the incident, the 2005-built ‘FWN Rapide’ was en route from Takoradi, Ghana to Port Harourt.
Some days later, ForestWave informed that it managed to establish contact with the crew of the cargo vessel ‘FWN Rapide’. The company confirmed that all remaining eleven seafarers were alive and together. Of the 12 crew that were taken hostage, one was found hiding onboard the ship.
Ultimately, the eleven crewmembers spent 4 weeks in captivity, but they were released and are now safe.
Now, the man responsible for the attack appeared on court, with the Netherlands trying to have him extradited, local media reported.
Namely, affidavits that were presented in the court characterised the man as a possible mastermind of an organization, which has attacked several ships travelling across Africa.
During the proceedings, the suspect was claiming that the authorities have caught the wrong man and he will now return on court this week.
In their statements, the ship’s captain stated that the attack was well organized. In fact, the radar did not see the pirates as they used plastic boats, in which the pirates put the crew after abandoning ship.
